By Cami Walters-Nihipali
Last blog your assignment was to get to know yourself a little better as a creative. Your goal was to determine your strengths and weaknesses in order to be able to identify tools and pitfalls for creation.
Now that you’ve reflected on that, let’s take some time to consider an approach to your idea.
Here’s mine:
I write what’s in my head: the free flow imagery that exists in my head must make it to the page. As a fiction writer, this is usually a scene. Sometimes when I’m working on an essay, it’s a string of words. That’s where I start. Peter Elbow wrote about what he called “freewriting” or the act of writing without stopping, and this is really the sort of writing I’m talking about.
I write forward until I can’t anymore. In January 2021, I had an image in my head of two people who knew one another but hadn’t seen one another for years. They literally bumped into one another in the foyer of a building. An unexpected acquaintance meet-cute. I wrote the scene and kept going forward until I had 30,000 words on the story in two weeks. I stopped when the words dried up because I needed more information and direction.
A pitfall for me is talking about a story before I have a good sense of what it is. So that’s one of my hard and fast rules: I DO NOT TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT MY NEW IDEA. In the past, when I have, I stalled because insecurities and doubt creep in.
When I get to the “I’m stuck” point, I pull tools from my toolkit: Save the Cat Beat Sheet, the Hero’s Journey outline, my own character-template, and my character-interview. There are ways to help me work through where I am stuck. I return to the Elbow Freewriting model and work the problem. This is often by way of an “interview” using questions I have and allowing my subconscious to answer.
One of my strengths is that I’m a visual learner. When I get to the point of having a strong sense of the story, I make myself color-coded cards of the 3 act structure. This process, even if I never look at it again (though I invariably do) continues to solidify the story in my mind and helps me identify the gaps in the narrative.. I hang this up so I can refer to it. (pictured).
I get back to writing forward now that I have a sense of structure. Forward. Forward. Forward. Until. It. Is. DONE.
So your approach...
In your reflections last week, did you figure out where you get stuck? (Contact me if you have a specific question about this).
So here are some ideas based on your learning style:
Visual learners:
Color-code your idea onto post-its,
3X5 Cards,
use markers and highlighters,
word tables or excel spreadsheets.
I’ve never used Scrivener, but it does appear to have that visual quality to support the visual learner (these are pay apps and I haven’t been compensated to mention it).
Auditory Learners:
Tell yourself the idea out loud (take it a step further and record it to transcribe later).
Talk to a trusted friend to dialogue the idea (only if you’re able to share your ideas. I wouldn’t be able to do this and continue to move forward).
Write your idea and have the computer read it back to you (or have a Critique Partner/trusted confidante read them to you). Make notes of your thoughts as you listen.
Rather than listening to music, listen to nature sounds while you work. Some auditory learners need absolute silence, but others find repetitive sounds relaxing and helpful. Play around with this to figure out what works best for you.
Kinesthetic Learners:
Put ideas on post-its (One point per post-it). This allows you to move things around. It works the same with 3X5 cards, but post-its are sticky and that additional tacky quality is good for a kinesthetic processor.
Change work spots in your house every 10-20 minutes (our brain process bits of information in 10 minute increments and it CRAVES novelty, so changing your location supports both).
Walk/Exercise and think.
Walk and talk either by yourself or with a trusted friend/Critique partner. It’s the movement that is important here.
Create a bulleted word document, print it and cut it up. Move it around as needed to worth through the idea and structure.
Still have questions about how to get started? Connect with me and send me your question.
.